History

A Brief History of Frome Selwood Bowling Club

 

Frome Selwood Bowling Club was founded in 1907 by J Ace Beynon and Bernard J Mitchell at the South Hill Green (now the Memorial Theatre car Park).  The club moved to its current location at the Butts Hill green in 1915.

A Tennis Section was established in 1921 and this later separated from the bowling club and became the Frome Selwood Tennis Club.

Over the years, members of the club have served on the county, national and world governing bodies.  Notably Norman J Thomson was President of the English Bowls Association (now Bowls England) in 1986, the British Isles Bowls Council in 1989 and the World Bowls Board in 1998.  His wife Ethel S Thomson was President of the English Women’s Bowling Association (now Bowls England) in 1988.  Nancie Colling MBE was President of the English Women’s Bowling Association in 1976 and the International Women’s Bowling Board in 1996.

Miss Nancie Whalley (Mrs Nancie Colling MBE) played in international games for the English Women’s Bowling Association in ten of the years between 1957 and 1974.  Nancie maintained her interest in bowls until her death in 2020 at the age of 101.